Regain your composure…

Ansel Adams is quoted as saying “A good photograph is knowing where to stand” and it pretty much comes down to that! The tricky bit with Ansel’s pared down pearls of wisdom is the “knowing”.

Judging by the amount of magazine articles, blogs  and books published on the subject, composition is as important to good photography and an interesting subject and good exposure – and rightly so. Unlike the other 2 components though, composition is the grey area where creativity and a gut feeling for a balanced image come into play, and this isn’t as easy to pass on to another enthusiast. Composing a great image is an intensely personal process – there’s just you and the view finder – and you have to conjour up something from the elements presented, that is more than the sum of it’s parts…that’s the plan anyway!

With the recent popularity in photography, more people are enjoying the creative outlet and trying to make better images, but the majority of people don’t have the benefit of any formal art school education, so advice on composition is always popular. This also accounts for why the Rule of Thirds has become such a sacred commandment. It’s easy to explain and by following the guidelines, you will get a pleasing image.

But, if you have any kind of appreciation for painting, you’ll know that there are all manner of tricks used in composing an image and they’re all applicable to photography. Some are more tangible and easily grasped than others – some are just gut feeling or emotion. At the end of the day, if an image feels right to you, then compositionally it will have been elevated in some way over just snaps.

I have a few things that I tend to do when I work and I was only dimly aware that I was doing them – they were just part of my process, but I find them helpful in getting a composed image. Here’s a few things that I find useful when making an image:

Compose handheld – then set up your tripod when you have an idea for your composition

I tend to start by using the camera hand held and composing through the eye piece – I find it easier than starting from the camera back. This way you can move around to find a good angle and explore high and low viewpoints much easier – when you have something you’re excited about, then set up your tripod and fine tune the composition. This way you’ll find unexpected happy accidents and not get trapped in a pattern of producing the same eye level image over and over.

If you’re happy with the rule of thirds, put it on your screen

I know many cameras now come with the ability to show the rear screen divided into 9 sections, making composing to thirds a simple task. If you don’t have this feature you can still add the rules to your LCD screen using thin strips of electrical tape, to give you an on-screen guide. The tape will come off easily afterwards – just measure the width and height of your screen to get the accurate thirds.

Go one step further and keep it old school – Golden section

There is a similar but far more pleasing compositional guide that is thousands of years old – think of it as the “father” of the rule of thirds – the Golden Section. It’s a slightly more complex version of rule of thirds, but I find it gives an much more pleasing composition – the whole of Ancient Greece and Renaissance painting can’t be wrong!

Instead of dividing the width and height of the LCD screen into equal thirds, you divide each length into 13 parts – then place your guide rules at 5 and 8 units. That’s basically how the ratio works – 5 : 8 : 13.

You can see from the diagram, the centre section is much smaller, so an element in your image placed on one of the verticals has a much better balance of space on the opposite side - it just looks right! Try it for yourself and I guarantee that your images will have a more pleasing overall composition than if you used thirds. I’ll go into a bit more depth in a future post.

Look for strong curves and "S" shapes

I looked back at my portfolio recently and found that this is something I tend to look for again and again. It gives a movement through the image and adds a dynamic quality that’s pleasing to the eye. The arcs and S shapes don’t need to be obvious but they will create a more powerful composition.

Visit galleries - feed your head

There are far worse ways to spend your time than in art galleries and looking at paintings is a great way to learn many of the compositional tools that you can then apply in your own work. Exposure to culture will have a beneficial impact on your own images.

Alternately, if you’re too busy, try finding an artist who’s work you like, select one piece if work that you’re particularly drawn to or like – look at it and try and work out why the painter put the elements where he/she did. If you do this enough, you will start to unlock the process of the composition and get an understanding of the process.

Sounds arty-farty, but go with me on this – it’s what all painters do and it makes them better!

Pick up a pencil

Finally, I sometimes pre-visualise an image (particularly still life or food shots) by sketching out a quick thumbnail. This is usually when I get an idea for an image and don't want to forget it, but I sometimes use this process to get a composition right before setting up. Don't be put off if you're one of the millions who haven't drawn anything since they were 14 - it's quick and easy and can save time setting up later.

Hopefully, some of these methods will suit your process. Everyone's creative process is different and personal, but sometimes trying something new can have a positive impact on the end result! Good luck with your photography and please do leave me a message if you're finding any of these posts entertaining or instructive - I'd love to hear from you.
Cheers! 

Strange encounters in the woods…

I had a strange morning yesterday and I’m still struggling with the aftermath a bit. 

By way of back story – I’ve been meaning to explore the Peak District a bit more, as it’s on my doorstep and there are plenty of great locations for a day’s shooting. After visiting a recent exhibition, I’ve been following the work of Dav Thomas (check him out – inspirational) who shoots a lot of his images in the Peaks, and the location of “Padley Gorge” cropped up regularly. It wasn’t a place I was familiar with and after seeing more images in a magazine, I decided to head out early on Sunday and check it out for an autumn colour location.

I got there early and as a location, it had almost everything you could want with mature woodland, moss covered boulders and a river tumbling through the rocks – wherever you looked there were great opportunities for making beautiful images – you don’t even have to walk that far from your car! I worked my way into the woods, enjoying the “newness” of seeing a place unfold for the first time and looking out for a first shot. I spotted a likely subject and started to set up my tripod and get everything ready to shoot. As I was readying to compose my first shot, an older couple walked past on the path above and I shouted a “good morning” (only polite after all). The woman replied, but her partner ignored me and proceeded to set up his gear right in front of me, in my shot.

I was a bit taken aback – had he just not seen me? I decided to pack up and move further into the woods – there were plenty of other great subjects. Unfortunately, he then did it again repeatedly – walking into my frame while I was shooting, looking at me and standing there until I basically gave up. This was not accidental behavior. After 3 or 4 of these, I decided to go far deeper upstream and shake him off, I found a great subject and spent a half hour composing and shooting unmolested – before it happened again and a completely different couple did exactly the same thing. 

By now I was getting pretty fed up – I explored for locations a bit further but by now it was about 11.00am and I decided to call it a day – I turned and retraced my steps back down the gorge. During the 10 minute walk back, I then encountered more people with cameras than I’ve ever seen in one place - even at weddings! You couldn’t move for tripods – people were even shooting in the footpath – I couldn’t get past without waiting for them to finish (a courtesy that I hadn’t received earlier). There must have been 40 plus shooters crammed into one small area, with a frantic undercurrent as they all competed for space. It reminded me of images you see from some of the African game reserves, where 15 Landrovers full of tourists are snapping away at one tortured lion! It’s just not right.

This is the bit that I’m still bothered about. A great location that also has easy access and parking is going to be popular, but there seemed to be a frantic nature to the way people were snapping away – like they didn’t care who they pissed off to get the shot – they were taking it! A year ago, in Barcelona, I’d set off early for Parc Güell to get some Gaudi shots and even at 8.00 am the park had started to fill up. I tried to get a shot of the famous  lizard fountain, but tourists kept getting in the way, until an oriental woman stood directly in front of me – I still have the close-up shot of  the back of her head! I can understand this kind of thing from tourists – you’re only there for a short time and everybody wants the same shot. They've paid to be there - they're taking it!. What still bothers me is that the exact same thing was happening in the woods…

As I’ve said before – I came to photograph as an offshoot of loving the outdoors first. I would be as happy just walking the woods without a camera, enjoying the spectacle of such a beautiful place, and as all hill walkers know, if you pass somebody out in the hills, everyone is polite. It’s a pity that this attitude doesn’t seem to be universal amongst outdoor photographers…it doesn’t make any sense to me. So far I've not met another photographer in the field who's returned a "hello", which is fairly worrying! As a group they don't seem happy to share (maybe they're all only-children??) Also photography has become so popular recently (and I know I’m just adding to that), I can see how difficult it would be to make a living from landscape photography, without having a niche and extraordinary talent. As a graphic designer, it reminds me of the late 80s/early 90s, where everybody with access to a pc thought they were suddenly graphic geniuses.

I’d encourage anybody to visit Padley Gorge – it’s a truly beautiful spot and you can get a bacon sandwich when you’ve had enough of the creative process…

But do get there early!

Be polite and considerate – we’re all just trying to get the shot but it's not a competition – I wouldn’t want to get mine at the expense of yours.

There’s definitely something to be said for a long walk in and as far as I’m concerned, the peace and solitude of a location definitely feeds into the final image. It sorts the men from the boys! I’ll be returning to Padley in 3 weeks or so, when the autumn colour kicks in – I’m sure it’ll be beautiful. Judging by the undergrowth, I'll bet it has a great show of spring bluebells too, but next time – I’ll be there on a week day, hours before the mob.

Enjoy your outdoor photography and to quote Keanu Reeves:

Be excellent to each other…camera dudes!